The SUNY Student Assembly has called upon the New York State Senate and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to approve a last minute of “Maintenance of Effort” provision which would provide critical aid to the SUNY system and potentially eliminate the need for another round of tuition increases.
“Students
have continued to pay more than their fair share of college costs after years
and years of tuition increases with only the briefest reprieve” said SUNYSA
President and SUNY Trustee Marc J. Cohen “Its fundamentally unfair that
students are continuously required to shoulder more of the burden despite the
states repeated assurances that this is not the case.”
President
Cohen went on to explain the compounding impact of the continued lack of state
investment.
“Salaries go
up. Cost of maintenance goes up. Utilities goes up. Inflation continues, and
yet state funding remains flat. This in every sense of the word amounts to
annual budget cuts. It’s morally reprehensible and flies in the face of what
true and honest Maintenance of Effort was supposed to be. This model hurts our
most vulnerable students who rely on aid to help cover associated costs of
attendance as more and more of their already limited aid dollars get eaten up
by tuition.”
His statement
comes just hours before the SUNY Board of Trustees is expected to raise tuition
system-wide to the maximum legal limit of $200. The Student Assembly also sent
a Memorandum of Support (see addendum) to key members of state, urging them to
pass the Maintenance of Effort Provision.
The Student
Assembly of the State University of New York (SUNY SA) is the recognized
student government organization representing the nearly 600,000 students of the
State University of New York. Comprised of student leaders elected by their
peers from across SUNY’s 64 campuses, SUNY SA is committed to empowering
students throughout the state, and ensuring the representation of its members
on the state and national level, as well as throughout the SUNY system.
Source: SUNY SA
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